Design and Functionality

Aesthetically, the HE-1 doesn’t stand out much. The machine looks nice and modern, but the design isn’t unique by any means. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from Brother nowadays. However, that doesn’t necessarily need to be a bad thing. With the dimensions of 19.5 x 18.5 x 11.25 inches (L x W x H), this isn’t a small embroidery machine, but the hoop size might show to be problematic for some – 4 x 4 is pretty standard within the price range, but perhaps insufficient for working on larger projects.

The easy-to-view back-lit touch screen LCD display is one of the highlights of this model and something that adds to the overall end user experience, as it allows the user to access and edit designs and view tutorials easily. Using the machine is easy enough for beginners too and even though this isn’t meant to be a high-end embroidery machine (it’s affordable too) it is perfectly fine, design and functionality-wise.

The user manual is well-written (in English and Spanish), so beginners can consult it from time to time.

Performance

The automatic needle threader works great – with the press of a button, while accessories like the bobbin thread and extra bobbins make this a great deal overall. Another great thing about Brother machines is the 25-year limited warranty and the free customer phone and online support – this says a lot about how this company treats their customers.

Other than that, the HE-1 works perfectly fine for all sorts of embroidery and on different kinds of materials. It’s not a high-end machine, but it isn’t meant to be either. This is a good, affordable model that many embroidery enthusiasts would love to have at home.

There are 70 built-in designs, 5 lettering fonts and 120 frame pattern combinations are plenty to work with, but the HE-1 has computer connectivity, which means the user can practically import thousands of designs, purchased from the official website. A decent number of accessories also comes with the machine, which allows more fine tuning and tweaking for a better, more rounded user experience.

Technical Specifications

Dimensions: 10.94″ x 6.89″ x 15.55″ (height x width x depth)

Product weight: 18.1 lbs

Number of built-in designs: 70

Number of fonts: 5

Embroidery area dimensions (hoop size): 4 x 4 inches

Maximum Embroidery Speed (Stitches Per Minute): 400

Pattern Rotating: 1, 10 and 90 Degrees

Pros and Cons

Pros

Good design

Ease of use

Price

Good performance

Warranty

Cons

Hoop size

Not for intermediate users

Our rating: 8/10

Final Verdict

The Brother HE-1 is a good, beginner-friendly embroidery machine. It’s easy to use with lots of additional features, lots of accessories and – it is a very budget-friendly model. The only downside could be the relatively small hoop size, but since this embroidery machine is meant for beginners and home use, it wouldn’t be fair to hold that fact against it. All in all, a good machine for beginners and home use.